--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never, ever, not once, met a…" description: "\"I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or she would never read a mystery or a story set in some imagined future.\" — Russell Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/russell-smith-9877_ever_i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer_895528.jpg" --- # I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or… ![“I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or she would never read a mystery or a story set in some imagined future.” quote by Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/russell-smith-9877_ever_i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer_895528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/russell-smith-9877_ever_i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer_895528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/russell-smith-9877_ever_i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer_895528.jpg) > “I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or she would never read a mystery or a story set in some imagined future.” [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers, regardless of genre, are eager to read mysteries or speculative stories, showing universal curiosity. **In simple terms:** Writers love mysteries and futures. Key Takeaway Explore diverse genres to broaden perspective. Themes reading creativity curiosity genre imagination Mood curious enthusiastic Type literary motivational When to use this quote - book clubs - writing workshops - creative brainstorming - educational curricula Key Concepts literary theory psychology culture Questions to Reflect On - What genre challenges your expectations? - How does reading unfamiliar genres expand thinking? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ever/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Imagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagined/) [Met](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/met/) [Met Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/met-writer-1191072/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Mystery Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-story-702786/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Once](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Read Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-mystery-1191073/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [She](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/she/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Would](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-said-714415/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I never met a writer who wasn't lazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-never-met-a-writer-who-wasn-t-lazy/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [People apparently only read mystery stories of any length. With mysteries, the longer the better, and people will read any damn thing. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/people-apparently-only-read-mystery-stories-of-any-length-with/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I think that’s why I love to read. I’ll read almost anything—mystery, suspense, slice of life—but what I really love is romance. Contemporary is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-t-prussing/i-think-that-s-why-i-love-to-read-i-ll-read-almost-anything-mystery/) [S.T. Prussing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-t-prussing/) > [I don't think the problem is that people don't read enough mystery books, but that people don't read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perry/i-don-t-think-the-problem-is-that-people-don-t-read-enough-mystery/) [Thomas Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perry/) > [“In 1969, en route for a summer holiday in the Cévennes, I made the casual purchase of a paperback. Le Trésor Maudit by Gérard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-baigent/in-1969-en-route-for-a-summer-holiday-in-the-c-vennes-i-made-the/) [Michael Baigent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-baigent/) > [The fundamental difference between the mystery story and the ghost story is the fact that a mystery demands a solution for its effectiveness; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-cerf/the-fundamental-difference-between-the-mystery-story-and-the-ghost/) [Bennett Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-cerf/) > [Puzzles are like songs - A good puzzle can give you all the pleasure of being duped that a mystery story can. It has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/puzzles-are-like-songs-a-good-puzzle-can-give-you-all-the-pleasure-of/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [“I just completed The Tenth Circle. It is an excellent mystery story surrounding a family with modern day issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-just-completed-the-tenth-circle-it-is-an-excellent-mystery-story/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The mystery story is two stories in one: the story of what happened and the story of what appeared to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/the-mystery-story-is-two-stories-in-one-the-story-of-what-happened/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [Who can confidently say what ignites a certain combination of words, causing them to explode in the mind? Who knows why certain notes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/who-can-confidently-say-what-ignites-a-certain-combination-of-words/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [The artist's job, I think, is to be a conduit for mystery. To intuit it, and recognize that the story-germ has some inherent mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-artist-s-job-i-think-is-to-be-a-conduit-for-mystery-to-intuit-it/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [When I became a published writer, I said, 'Whatever I can do to help the libraries I want to do,' so all of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/when-i-became-a-published-writer-i-said-whatever-i-can-do-to-help-the/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“Never walk over a writer, I said to myself, unless you're positive he can't rise up behind you. If you're going to burn him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/never-walk-over-a-writer-i-said-to-myself-unless-you-re-positive-he/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [He asked, "What makes a man a writer?" "Well," I said, "it's simple. You either get it down on paper, or jump off a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/he-asked-what-makes-a-man-a-writer-well-i-said-it-s-simple-you-either/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [My first interaction with Gene was that after I auditioned I walked out of the room and then this big guy walks out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-lancie/my-first-interaction-with-gene-was-that-after-i-auditioned-i-walked/) [John de Lancie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-lancie/) ## More by Russell Smith > [If you tell your husband or boyfriend for his whole life that he needn't worry about his clothes, that he couldn't possibly understand them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/if-you-tell-your-husband-or-boyfriend-for-his-whole-life-that-he/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Canadian writers don't live in gated mansions; you can just talk to them when you see them lining up at the Second Cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/canadian-writers-don-t-live-in-gated-mansions-you-can-just-talk-to/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [I was given a thick paperback copy of the 'Guinness Book of Records' when I was 11 years old, and I read it gluttonously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-was-given-a-thick-paperback-copy-of-the-guinness-book-of-records/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [I would rather be nuts than unattractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-would-rather-be-nuts-than-unattractive/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [What I would love to see is art that explicitly addresses not personal intimacies but anonymous intimacies: the vast collections of facts about you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-i-would-love-to-see-is-art-that-explicitly-addresses-not/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Indeed, the whole point of the man bun, I have surmised, is to assert a high proficiency at yoga. There are no yoga-achievement badges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/indeed-the-whole-point-of-the-man-bun-i-have-surmised-is-to-assert-a/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Anything that encourages a boy to open a book, in a world of more violent and therefore more compelling video games, is something I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/anything-that-encourages-a-boy-to-open-a-book-in-a-world-of-more/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Verisimilitude is something I am constantly seeking in fiction. I am looking for surface detail that makes something seem real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/verisimilitude-is-something-i-am-constantly-seeking-in-fiction-i-am/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Increasingly, to dismiss any popular artistic style is seen as the worst kind of snobbery. And snobbery, it goes without saying, is unacceptable in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/increasingly-to-dismiss-any-popular-artistic-style-is-seen-as-the/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [What I don't understand is why men have decided that they like wearing hats indoors. It makes no sense to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/what-i-don-t-understand-is-why-men-have-decided-that-they-like/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [I am indeed completely nuts, but that doesn't mean I don't care about how I look. Sometimes, I admit, I will privilege appearance over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-am-indeed-completely-nuts-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-don-t-care-about/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [Everyone likes to hear that their eccentricities and their addictions are simply evidence of their sensitive artistic nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/everyone-likes-to-hear-that-their-eccentricities-and-their-addictions/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [There is actually no such thing as an Artist type. 'Artist' is just an economic designation, a box you tick on a form. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/there-is-actually-no-such-thing-as-an-artist-type-artist-is-just-an/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [One of the qualities essential to writing exciting stories, whether for page or screen, is an ability to abandon one's morality. We simply cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/one-of-the-qualities-essential-to-writing-exciting-stories-whether/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [There is something insouciant and boyish about the sockless ankle in summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/there-is-something-insouciant-and-boyish-about-the-sockless-ankle-in/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) [Explore all 69 Russell Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) ## More Ever quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [Thatcher was the best politician I have ever witnessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/thatcher-was-the-best-politician-i-have-ever-witnessed/) [Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/) > [The resources of our continent attract, more than ever, the interests of rich countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-bongo/the-resources-of-our-continent-attract-more-than-ever-the-interests/) [Omar Bongo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-bongo/) > [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. They're not ever intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/ninety-eight-percent-of-the-things-that-come-out-of-my-mouth-are/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) > [If I ever had twins, I'd use one for parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-i-ever-had-twins-i-d-use-one-for-parts/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I loved 'Funny Lady' for whatever reason. People say they didn't know I could sing and dance. Well, nobody ever asks me - it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-caan/i-loved-funny-lady-for-whatever-reason-people-say-they-didn-t-know-i/) [James Caan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-caan/) > [Learning to speak was the most remarkable thing you ever did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/learning-to-speak-was-the-most-remarkable-thing-you-ever-did/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) [Browse all 4,296 Ever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ever/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or she would never read a mystery or a story set in some imagined future.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Russell Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer-who-said-he-or-she-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ever" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer-who-said-he-or-she-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/russell-smith-9877_ever_i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer_895528.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/russell-smith-9877_ever_i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer_895528.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/russell-smith-9877_ever_i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer_895528.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or she would never read a mystery or a story set in…” — Russell Smith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Russell Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have never, ever, not once,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer-who-said-he-or-she-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer-who-said-he-or-she-would/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```